


what you do to me (no one knows)

by hoodedmiho (missMHO)



Series: robovember 2k18 [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background role reversal, Blink-and-you'll-miss-it FMA reference, Cyborg Gavin, M/M, Prosthesis, Stand Alone, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 13:26:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16661847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missMHO/pseuds/hoodedmiho
Summary: During the first fitting of the new prostheses, there was a whole team of doctors and technicians present but Gavin was warned that the check-ups will be conducted by a single android.  Gavin doesn’t have a specific problem with androids per se, it’s just that he finds them unsettling. However, RK900 turns out to be something far from expected.





	what you do to me (no one knows)

**Author's Note:**

> **This is part 11 of my robovember for prompt "cyborg", but it's a stand alone story** (all previous prompts can be found in the same series as this fic). It's just that I've been thinking about Gavin with artificial CyberLife limbs for weeks and then this prompt happened and it got out of control XD
> 
> Please enjoy! I appreciate all feedback, kudos and comments are a writer's fuel <3

Gavin is on his break, about to bite into the wrap he got for a quick dinner between checking locations for a case, when his private phone rings. It gives him a pause when he sees it’s an unknown number. No one really calls him on this phone that he doesn’t already have in his contacts. He takes it warily.

“Yeah?”

“Hello, am I speaking to Gavin Reed?”

Well, at least it isn’t a misdial taking his precious lunch time.

“That’s me.”

“I’m Alexandra Verkamp from CyberLife Prosthetics Division, can I take a moment of your time?”

He’s intrigued now so he puts the wrap away for the time being and sits more comfortably – well, as comfy as one can be in the front seat of a car.

“Go on.”

“According to our files you’re a user of two of our artificial limbs, a right arm and leg, is that correct?” 

After he hums a confirmation, instinctively flexing the mechanical fingers of his right hand, she continues, finally getting to the point. CyberLife has a proposition for him to test their newest prostheses – lighter while simultaneously more resilient and with faster reaction time. He’s immediately interested. This sounds like an opportunity to push his career forward by being more effective in the field. The whole issue with losing an arm and half a leg during his Academy training has already been enough of a setback to his work…

“We thought of you as a perfect candidate since you’re an active police officer,” Alexandra keeps selling the idea even though Gavin is already pretty much convinced. “Your everyday work will be an excellent environment to check the new features. We won’t hide that it would also be great to have two different prostheses tested by one person.”

“I’m in.”

After clearing the idea with Fowler, Gavin signs the papers and is equipped with the prototype limbs within the next month. They are everything they were promised to be. The biggest drawback are the weekly check-ups. He’s expected to come every Thursday evening to CyberLife tower and endure a physical examination that will determine whether the prototypes are working well.

During the first fitting of the new prostheses, there was a whole team of doctors and technicians present but he was warned that the check-ups will be conducted by a single android. Only in case of some serious issues, a human CyberLife employee involved in the project is to be alerted.

Gavin doesn’t have a specific problem with androids per se, it’s just that he finds them unsettling. He knows that CyberLife androids passed the Turing test but he still finds their behaviour weird and disturbing. He usually avoids them as much as possible but if that’s the price he’s gotta pay for the new prostheses, he’s going to deal with an android examining him once a week.

He feels almost anxious waiting for the first check-up in the examination room. He’s rarely alone with androids and he just wants to be done with this already.

Finally, the android arrives and Gavin can’t help but take it in. It must be one of the newest models because Gavin hasn’t seen this face around town. It’s taller than Gavin by at least his head and has a sturdy form. Dark hair are swept back except for one strand falling to his forehead so its steel grey eyes are not obstructed by anything. Its white-and-black jacket says “RK900”.

“Good evening, Mister Reed,” the android says but it doesn’t put on that fake retail smile Gavin usually associates with being served by the CyberLife machines. Interesting.

“ _ Detective _ Reed,” he corrects automatically. He didn’t put his whole damned life into his career not to be called by his rank.

“My apologies,” RK900 responds but it doesn’t sound as if there was even an attempt at sincerity in it. Gavin knows he avoids androids on purpose thus doesn’t have that much experience with them, but he’s pretty much sure this isn’t standard behaviour. 

RK900 gestures at the examining table.

“Please take off your jacket and trousers and lay down.”

Gavin wants to instinctively argue that he can just roll up the trousers as his prosthesis is just from the knee down but he swallows the objection. Standing up to androids is usually counter-productive as they rarely can be swayed and it’s no fun if you can’t annoy them as much as they piss you off. In the end, he only grumbles and follows the instructions. Once the detective is spread over the table with the prostheses on display, RK900 approaches armed only with a tablet. The android puts one hand on the screen and the other on Gavin’s prototype arm. The synthetic skin on both the RK900’s palm and his own forearm recede to show the white chassis beneath. Gavin startles but doesn’t say anything and stays in place. While the android interfaces with Gavin’s prosthesis, its LED circles from blue to yellow and Gavin’s eyes are drawn to the display. After a minute, RK900 moves to do the same to his leg. 

“Okay, please sit up,” the android says once he’s done with the scans. It walks to a nearby cabinet and takes out a red stress ball. It hands the prop to Gavin and asks him to start squeezing it. After that come some simple exercises for his leg.

“Wasn’t that bad, huh?” Gavin murmurs to himself once the android has left. RK900 was… unusual, but in a way that may make this actually bearable.

ж

The next check-up and the following after that go almost the same way. RK900 interfaces with the prostheses and then Gavin has to do some simple exercises while the android continues scanning him.

Gavin was afraid that these check-ups will be weird and awkward because of the android’s presence but he soon finds out he doesn’t really mind RK900 and the visits are mostly boring. The same examining room, the same order of steps, the same set of exercises… The only variable is the android. Gavin finds himself observing RK900, since by now it doesn’t freak him out as most androids. 

One of the first things that makes him really stop in his mental tracks is the realization that RK900’s face is dotted with little beauty marks. They’re in seemingly natural random pattern but someone must have sat and designed them onto RK900’s face. Gavin shakes his head at the thought. All CyberLife androids are conventionally handsome but the detective feels like RK900 was like a pet project where the designer went all the way, with the cheekbones, the damned beauty marks and that ridiculous strand of hair falling on the android’s forehead. Why was there a need to make a medical android so pretty?

He scoffs at his own musings. Fortunately, no one can ever prove that he thought an android was  _ pretty _ .

ж

“Androids can feel touch, right?” Gavin asks and it must take RK900 aback as its whole posture seems to freeze in the moment. It finally blinks after a few seconds. 

Gavin rises his flesh and blood hand and puts it on the android’s forearm, where RK900 is interfacing with the prosthesis.

“You can feel this, don’t you?”

A pause, then: “Yes.”

The detective hums in thought. 

“The new prostheses are amazing, there’s no delay in reactions anymore and I stopped dropping half the shit I grab with this hand, but…” Gavin lifts the hand back up and flexes the fingers. “Even with all that technology they still can’t make us  _ feel _ with these.”

RK900 tilts its head to the side and Gavin’s brain makes him think of a confused dog. He’s about to share that out loud, curious if such a ridiculous connotation will actually amplify the effect by making the android even more flabbergasted but then RK900 moves his own hand,  _ stroking  _ the prosthesis. Even though Gavin really can’t feel anything, he still feels a phantom shiver running up his right arm.

What the fuck did just happen?

RK900 blinks a few times in rapid succession and moves to examine Gavin’s leg without saying anything more on the topic. Gavin decides to leave it, too. 

ж

It his sixth check-up when Gavin finally asks: “What’s up with you anyhow?” 

RK900 looks up from the tablet. “I don’t think I understand the question.”

“I haven’t seen your model anywhere else. You don’t behave like all the other medical androids I’ve come across. What’s up with that?”

The android looks up to stare at him for a second then comes back to the examination, but when Gavin expects to be completely ignored, it starts speaking.

“Your artificial limbs are not the only prototype in this project, Detective,” RK900 explains. “I was created to utilize brand new technology, I can scan any machine with precision impossible to achieve by previous models as well as try to predict future failures based on gathered data. Unfortunately, this software is so demanding that some other features have to be excluded in order for everything to run smoothly. For example, any advanced social protocols were omitted. I’m one of a kind experiment to see whether this operating power is giving satisfying results in practice and if I can still manage to work with people as I am now. This project was deemed good enough to assess me as I work both with advanced technology like these state-of-the-art prostheses as well as the group of their human testers.”

Gavin nods, taking in the information. It makes sense.

When the detective thinks the topic is closed, RK900’s LED spins red for a second and then it asks:

“Would you like me to be like the other medical androids? The ones with advanced social protocols?”

He huffs in response. “Fuck no! I hate their fake smiles. I prefer your grumpy face.”

Gavin could swear that the corners of android’s mouth twitched at that.

ж

“Hey there, Nines,” Gavin calls loudly the moment RK900 enters the room. He’s had a bit too much caffeine today, he’s gotta admit.

“Nines?” the android repeats, confusion clear on its face.

“Well,  _ ar-kay-nine-hundred _ is a bit of a mouthful, don’t you think?” Gavin responds. “I’ve been calling you  _ Nines _ in my head,” he shrugs. “What can I say, I’m the too-long-didn’t-read generation.”

The last sentence seems to confuse the android even more, its LED spinning yellow as it’s still standing by the door with one of its hands on the knob.

“ _ Nines _ is agreeable,” it decides at last. Gavin grins.

ж

Gavin drags his feet into the examining room. He’s so tired he can barely keep himself up. His latest case was a nightmare, forcing him to work prolonged shifts and generally give all he’s got both physically and mentally. It’s finally over and he was allowed to take the rest of the day off to sleep it off but he’s still got the check-up today. Even though he’s almost two hours early, he decided to go straight to CyberLife. He knows that the moment he makes a step into his flat, he’s a goner, and well, deal is a deal: he must attend the check-ups to be allowed to use the prototype prostheses he already can’t imagine his life without. 

Fortunately, the receptionist said that they can squeeze him in if there are no malfunctions and it’s just a routine check-up. He’d need to wait for Nines though as he’s still with another patient. The detective agreed to everything, glad they humoured him with the earlier visit at all, and dragged his barely awake ass to his usual examining room number 108.

He takes a seat on the chair by the wall and his head immediately falls to lean on the nearby wall. Gavin’s eyes fall shut out of their own volition and he rubs them furiously, hoping this would somehow help keep them open. It works… for about two seconds.

He yawns, his jaw aching from the strain. Fuck, he would do anything to be in his bed already, allowed to sleep for the next twelve hours at minimum.

Gavin didn’t really register falling asleep. It’s just the next thing he knows is him opening his eyes to see Nines seating on the examining table and doing something on a tablet.

“Fuck,” Gavin hisses when he tries to straighten and feels the crick in his neck full force. Sleeping seated in a hospital chair while leaning on a wall is not something his 35+ year old body agrees with.

Nines looks up at him from the screen, doing that curious-dog tilt of the head.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Gavin mumbles, rubbing at the aching neck even though it’s not doing anything. 

The android’s LED circles yellow and it takes him a moment to answer. If he was human, Gavin would think he’s coming up with an excuse. But androids can’t lie… can they?

“You seemed like you needed that nap,” Nines finally says.

Gavin’s detective senses are tingling but he’s too tired to unearth the android’s bullshit further. He yawns and then grimaces when that makes his neck ache even more.

“Let’s get this over with, I need more than that nap,” he gets up and takes off his jacket.

“I can help you with the neck pain,” Nines says suddenly and Gavin freezes with his hands on the belt buckle. It was a simple statement but his sleep-deprived mind needs a moment to process it. “I’m a prototype but I’m still a medical android.”

“Okay,” he hears himself say. What has he got to lose after all?

Nines’ eyes seem to lighten up but Gavin is pretty sure that’s just his exhaustion playing tricks on him. The android moves the chair to the center of the room and gestures for Gavin to sit back down.

“Please take off your shirt.” 

He follows the instruction without hesitation, his awkwardness about undressing in front of Nines is long gone at this point.

Nines puts his hands on Gavin’s shoulders and he shivers. Only then it hits him that they never really touched skin to skin beside that one time when Gavin asked about feeling touch, the android always interfaces with his prostheses where Gavin can’t feel him. He’s suddenly not that sure about the whole thing but then Nines starts massaging his taut muscles with just the right pressure in just the right places and a moan escapes his lips. The same moment it happens he sees something blink red in the corner of his eye and realizes it’s the reflection of Nines’ LED in the glass doors of the medical cabinet nearby. He puts that interesting fact in the back of his mind for later consideration. Now he plans to fully enjoy the heavenly massage.

ж

The time Gavin gets shot in his state-of-the-art prosthesis arm incidentally falls on the day of the check-up so he decides he doesn’t need to ring any alarms about the damage, he’s about to go see Nines anyway. Nothing is dripping from the arm and he can still move his fingers, it can wait till the visit. So he drives the perp to the station, fills in all the paperwork he needs, and without rush, Gavin goes to his usual check-up.

The moment he takes off his jacket and the android’s eyes fall on the bullet still lodged in the slightly burned chassis of Gavin’s forearm, his LED turns red.

“You are damaged.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Gavin says even though he doesn’t really sound apologetic. “It was the arm or my neck. You can replace the arm, even if it’s a prototype, but if I bleed out, well…”

Nines puts his hands on the damaged forearm and his eyes jump from the bullet to Gavin’s neck a few times. His LED is still red. Gavin starts to actually feel sorry, despite his best assholish intentions. He knows CyberLife can afford this financially, even if its a prototype, but he doesn’t like seeing Nines get upset.

“Sorry for this, but well, you did chose me for the program because of my work. You should have expected I will be shot at.”

The android actually huffs at that. Gavin smiles at the reaction, it’s really amusing to see how his basic social protocols are developing over time.

“This is out of range of my assigned duties, I can’t deal with this,” Nines says as he keeps staring at the bullet, as if it’s insulting him personally. “I have to call a human supervisor.”

“Do what you must,” Gavin shrugs with one shoulder.

Doctor Rockbell arrives quite soon, Gavin remembers her from his first fitting of the prototype prostheses. She seems annoyed with the development and simultaneously pleased with the durability of their product. Gavin tells her the same thing he said to Nines, that they must have took into account such an occurrence considering his job. She grumbles something that’s almost an agreement.

In the end, she must take the whole arm off to repair it. He’s instructed to sit and wait for her. Her whole person radiates such authority that he doesn’t really think to complain about sitting without an arm for an undetermined period of time in an examining room. 

At least he’s not entirely alone.

“Why is your Captain listed as your primary contact?”

Gavin looks up at the android standing by the wall in front of him. His LED finally stopped glowing angry red but still hasn’t calmed down to blue.

The question surprises Gavin but only at the first moment. He gets it, he’s a thirty-six year old lonely loser, an android may find that interesting.

“Don’t have anyone else relevant to put there,” he shrugs with one shoulder. “My mom died two years ago and I’m not gonna list any of my friends, they’ve got enough on their plates without my ass. But Fowler must know if I don’t make it to the precinct so he was a logical choice.”

Nines frowns. “You’re attractive, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to find a partner, even with your… demeanour.”

Gavin bursts out laughing at that, thankful that the second part of the android’s statement was that amusing since it derives his own attention from the fact that his cheeks heated up at the compliment.

“I don’t really have time to date,” Gavin explains. “You don’t lose two limbs in your early twenties and still end up a homicide detective by thirty without some sacrifices. I had a lot to catch up on once I  _ literally _ got back on my feet.” He doesn’t add that some people just don’t want damaged goods like him. His personality is enough of a drawback without taking into consideration that he has two prostheses and quite a baggage of trauma that comes with it.

They both fall silent for a while, Nines’ LED still alternating between blue and yellow. Gavin can’t help but keep staring at the blank space where his arm prosthesis usually is. He’s grown so used to having an artificial limb that he usually lets himself forget that he’s a crippled fuck-up. But after that conversation with Nines and the arm being taken away… Fuck, he needs a drink.

Fortunately, he doesn’t have to wait for Doctor Rockbell that long. She comes in without a word and puts the arm on the examining table where Gavin is sitting. 

“Come here, RK900, you’ll help me install it,” she says.

The detective looks at the arm spread next to him, curious if it’s a new one or if they only repaired the same one. The answer seems to be the latter. The arm is not activated yet thus its white chassis is fully visible. It’s clearly visible where the bullet used to be, the uneven plating conspicuous on the otherwise perfect arm. 

Gavin chuckles. “Another scar for my collection,” he grins and Nines’ LED blinks red once again.

ж

“Why are you staring at me, Detective?”

Gavin startles. He’s been observing Nines during the check-ups as his pastime for months but today he’s indeed being far from subtle.

“There are more and more cases of deviant androids getting out of control and killing people,” Gavin says because he found he likes talking to the android quite a lot. He likes being honest with Nines. It’s refreshing to be just himself. Nines is here to assess his prostheses and not him and it’s not like they will ever meet outside of this CyberLife building… “And you’re the only android I’ve ever had a conversation with that was longer than a minute. I just want to understand how they’re doing it and why and, well, you’re my best point of reference.”

Nines only hums in response.

“And it’s not like you’re unpleasant to look at, quite the opposite.” Did he really just say that?

The android’s hand on Gavin’s prosthesis leg twitches and the connection must get broken because the artificial skin spreads back over his calf.

“Detective, why…” Nines starts asking but doesn’t actually end the question.

“Do you think you would have it in you to kill a human? If it posed a threat to you?” 

What the fuck is wrong with you, Reed?!

“I’m a medical android, Detective, why would I…” he doesn’t finish again. His LED turns red and Gavin winces. He’s been doing that quite a lot to Nines lately, doesn’t he?

“They sent us an android, you know, a prototype like you,” Gavin changes the topic slightly, hoping it would distract the android enough to ensure the red LED doesn’t make an appearance again today. “A PL600, Simon the android detective!” he exclaims as if he was a mock salesman.

“What do you think of him?” Nines asks, his voice is still a bit too strained for Gavin’s liking but he comes back to scanning the leg.

“I hate that bastard, too fake, too polite… I’m just glad we don’t have to work together, I got lucky just this once that ‘ _ the android detective _ ’ was assigned to another person who’s without a partner.”

“Maybe if you had a partner you won’t be collecting bullets in your prostheses,” Nines points out, looking up from what he’s doing to give the human a judging look.

“That was borderline  _ rude _ , Nines!” Gavin gasps. “I think you were supposed to pick up social cues from better-behaved patients than me,” he winks.

Nines huffs but Gavin still notices a tiny smile in the corner of the android’s mouth. “Don’t overestimate yourself, Detective.”

ж

“You’re connected to the internet at all times, aren’t you?”

Nines nods.

“So you’ve seen… The deviant march…”

Nines nods again, this time visibly more tense.

ж

“Gavin, why are you here? The reception told me you’re waiting but your visit is in two days–” Nines is already speaking when entering the room but stops abruptly when Gavin literally jumps at him as if he was going for a hug, but stops the last second, only putting his hands on the android’s chest in the end.

“You’re okay…” the detective sighs with relief but then he moves straight to business. “Are there cameras here?”

“Did something happen?” Nines tilts his head to the side, his LED spinning yellow as he’s observing the human in front of him with concern.

“Are there cameras here?” he repeats urgently.

“Yes.”

“Can they hear us?”

Nines shakes his head. Just visuals then. Gavin must risk it then that whoever is checking the cameras can’t – or won’t be bothered to – read lips.

“The deviants, they’re becoming too dangerous,” Gavin explains, his hands still resting on Nines’ chest. “All of the androids are to be destroyed tomorrow, there will be fucking camps to round you up and burn you down.”

“Why are you telling me this, I don’t understand…”

“ _ Run _ , Nines,” Gavin’s voice is grave and he looks into the android’s eyes with determination.

For a few seconds, the android just stares in confusion, as if Gavin just grew a second head.

“I  _ can’t _ , my programming doesn’t allow me to even leave this building, I’m…” Nines is clearly aggravated, his LED now turning red. He looks down, avoiding Gavin’s gaze. “I’ve tried,” his voice becomes barely hearable. “I can’t break through it, my software is too new, too strong…”

Gavin’s fingers curl around the material of Nines’ jacket, turning into fists. He’s breathing more and more heavily. He hopes it’s not another panic attack, he got a minor one at the precinct when he first heard about the camps and he thought of Nines…

“Fuck,” the detective growls. “I just– I want you to be safe. I don’t want you gone.”

The android looks back up at that, his hands rise to wrap themselves around Gavin’s. He doesn’t recoil at the touch and Nines squeezes harder for a moment, his LED still angry red. He closes his eyes as if in effort. 

Then suddenly, it seems like a weight was lifted from his whole person. His eyes flutter open and Nines looks around as if in awe at the world surrounding him and his grip on Gavin’s hands loosens.

“I did it,” he whispers, disbelieving. “ _ You  _ did it.”

“What?” Gavin is staring at the android, searchingly. “What did I do?”

“I broke through the programming!” Nines  _ smiles _ , wider than Gavin has ever seen him and his heart makes an almost painful jump. “When you said you don’t want me gone, it helped me push against it and I did it.”

Gavin laughs, desperation tinging the sound. “That means you can escape?”

Nines nods, still smiling.

Gavin clears his throat and finally tears his eyes off of the android’s. He takes a step back, too, withdrawing his hands.

“Can you disable the cameras now?”

Nines closes his eyes for a second, then: “Done.”

“ _ Nice _ . Now take off that jacket, you can’t be running around marked as their property.”

It takes the android a second, his LED turning yellow before he starts undressing. 

_ The LED _ . 

Gavin rummages in the pocket of his trousers and takes out a Swiss army knife. 

“I'm sorry but we need to take your little Christmas light out. Your face is unique enough that you should be able to pass as human without it.”

The detective opens the knife and extends it to Nines but the android doesn’t take it.

“You do it,” he says instead. “I trust you.”

Gavin takes a deep breath but doesn’t argue. Nines closes his eyes and the skin around the LED recedes to white. Gavin can see clearly now where to best slide the blade in to pry the LED off. He knows androids can’t feel pain but he’s still delicate with the procedure. 

“All done,” he says and puts the knife and the LED into his pocket. He takes a step back to asses Nines’ appearance: black turtleneck and dark jeans are nondescript enough. But it’s still not enough.

Gavin takes off his jacket and hands it to the android.

“Put this on.”

“I can’t take it from you, Detective…”

“I’ve got another one at home,” Gavin reponds, still extending the jacket to Nines. “And come on, I’m stealing you from CyberLife, you can call me Gavin.”

Nines sighs but finally takes the jacket. “Okay,  _ Gavin. _ ”

It’s a bit too short on him but it will have to do. Gavin steps closer to the android once again and lifts his hand to ruffle Nines’ hair so that more of it is falling on his forehead. He looks even more handsome like that and Gavin feels cheated that he got to witness the sight only now. Also, Nines’ hair is so soft it’s just not fair. 

For a good measure, Gavin puts the jacket’s hood up over Nines’ head and nods to himself.

“Okay, you look human,” he decides. “Now we need to sneak you out of here.”

ж

Thanks to Gavin’s work experience and Nines’ state-of-the-art features, they manage to flee from the examining room and get to the garage without being discovered. Gavin drives them far from the CyberLife building and stops in the general area where the deviants are suspected to be hiding. For a moment, they just sit in the car in silence.

“I can’t hide you,” Gavin finally says after going through all possible scenarios in his head. “I came to CyberLife today begging to see you outside of schedule and you go missing short after… They’ll investigate me first.”

“I know, Gavin, don’t worry,” Nines’ voice is soft. Almost… sad?

“We think deviants are somewhere around here, you should be able to find them,” Gavin gazes through the window, doing everything to avoid looking at the android. When Nines steps out there, will Gavin ever see him again? 

Fuck.

“Thank you for everything you did for me today,” Nines says and then hesitates for a second. “Thank you for everything you did for me.”

Gavin can’t fight it anymore, he turns too look at Nines and his heart makes another painful jump. 

“When this is all over, if Markus manages to get through these thick human heads… When it’s safe… Find me,” Gavin swallows his stupid pride and makes himself say. “If you want,” he adds hurriedly. “You’ve got all my information from the medical records still, right?”

Nines nods. He’s staring at his own hands, playing with the zip of the jacket nervously.

They both know Nines should go already. CyberLife must have noticed he’s gone by now. Gavin will be the first person they’ll be looking for and they can track his prostheses…

“I’ll find you,” Nines promises and puts one of his hands on the car door but still doesn’t open them. Then there’s sudden movement that Gavin doesn’t fully register and… Nines is kissing him.

Gavin moans deep in his throat but just as he starts kissing the android back, Nines withdraws and jumps out of the car. Before Gavin fully realizes what happened, Nines is a silhouette disappearing in the heavy snowfall.

Fuck.

_ Fuck. _

ж

Most of Detroit has evacuated but fortunately being a police officer means playing by different rules, huge portion of their precinct decided to stay even though the military is now calling the shots.

Gavin can’t leave. He must be here in case Nines needs to find him…

Since Markus and the rest of the remaining deviants has marched to free the camps, Gavin hasn’t left the kitchen at the precinct, following the events at the TV screen there. His coffee mug has been empty for some time now, he’s mostly playing nervously with it now.

He throws it against the wall when they start shooting at the barricades.

Tina runs into the kitchen a few seconds later.

“Everything okay?” she asks, taking in the mess.

“Nothing is okay,” he mumbles, gesturing at the screen. “Fuck,” he rubs at his eyes, exhaustedly. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up at Tina.

“I didn’t expect you to react like this,” she says cautiously. “You were never that much of an android fan. You always avoid them when we go out.”

“I know, I know, I’m a hypocrite,” he sighs. “But Tina, I…  _ Fuck _ , I fell in love with an android.”

Tina falls onto the chair next to Gavin’s.

“What? When? How? Why didn’t you tell me before?!”

“That’s a lot of questions,” Gavin laughs but it sounds hollow. “Remember the check-ups I need to do for my new prostheses?”

Tina nods.

“They were conducted by an android, the same one every time, and… I’m not sure when it happened but I just…” he rubs his eyes again. “I never mentioned it because I thought I’m just making this up, being lonely and pathetic but… Tina, I helped him escape from CyberLife after they told us that there will be camps in the city. And now I don’t even know if he’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry, Gavin,” she squeezes his shoulder. He doesn’t even has any energy left to be an asshole and brush it off. 

**_Thanks, Michael, back to you in the studio–– W-wait a minute!… Something's happening…_ **

Gavin looks up at the TV. A small group of deviants is backed up by a metal container, surrounded by armed soldiers. But then Markus makes a step forward and…

**_The deviants are singing._ **

They watch in disbelief as the androids continue singing in a last desperate act. During a close-up on the remaining group, Gavin notices that one of the deviants by Markus’ side looks almost like Nines’ and he chokes on air. The android on the screen has dark eyes and his face somehow seems softer but he could be Nines’ twin… Another RK perhaps? 

The deviants finish their song and Gavin stops breathing––

**_It looks like… Yes, the military is withdrawing…_ **

Tina squeezes his shoulder once more when the camera changes and they’re being shown an enormous gathering of brand new androids marching into Detroit – being led by no one else but their own PL600, Simon.

Still, no Nines in sight.

“They’re all safe now,” Tina says out loud. 

Gavin nods. “If he survived, he’ll find me… He promised.”

“He will,” Tina confirms even though she can’t know that for certain. Gavin appreciates the gesture.

Gavin spends the next hour still following the news. Everyone has their two cents to throw into the discussion about android lives and their worth. Tina makes him another coffee but leaves him be when she sees there’s not much else she can do for him. 

Every time someone walks into the precinct, Gavin twitches nervously. He chokes a bit on the last mouthful of his now lukewarm coffee when Chris Miller calls from the front desk: “Reed! There’s someone here for you!”

“Let them in,” Gavin yells back, getting up from the chair and almost tripping on his way out of the kitchen. Who else could be looking for him? It must be…

Nines is still wearing Gavin’s jacket. He’s walking into the precinct, making slow careful steps and looking around warily. Gavin stops thinking.

“You’re alive!” He runs at the android and Nines notices the charge last second but manages to open his arms just in time not to be knocked down to the floor by the detective. Gavin doesn’t waste any time and the moment he has Nines in his embrace, he crushes their lips together, kissing him desperately. Nines makes a muffled noise of surprise but reciprocates the kiss with matching passion. Nines lips are still cold from the weather outside but Gavin swiftly warms them up with his tongue, deepening the kiss without caring that they’re at his workplace. He slides his flesh-and-blood hand under Nines’ hood and into the android’s soft hair. Nines moans at that.

Then Gavin hears loud whistling. He reluctantly withdraws and takes in the surroundings. Most of the officers are gathered around staring at the two of them and, of course, Tina is whistling and howling nearby.

“I hope you all enjoyed that because there won’t be any reruns,” Gavin exclaims and then starts dragging Nines into the nearest interrogation room. They need to talk.

But first, he’s got some kissing to finish up. 


End file.
